Plea deal reached on gun charges

A man authorities accused of leading a group planning to
assassinate Flathead County officials has agreed to plead guilty
this week to federal firearms charges, court documents show.

David Burgert is expected to plead to possessing a machine gun
and being a felon in possession of a firearm, under terms of a plea
agreement he struck with prosecutors this month.

A hearing is scheduled for Friday in U.S. District Court in
Missoula.

Each count has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a
$250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, according to
court documents.

While local authorities in Flathead County said Burgert was a
key figure in the alleged assassination plot by a group called
Project 7, the federal indictment against him made no mention of
those allegations.

One of the terms of the plea agreement, however, is Burgert's
full cooperation with authorities and possible testimony "at any
proceedings deemed appropriate by the United States attorney's
office," court documents show.

Prosecutors would push for a reduced sentence if Burgert's help
provided "substantial assistance in the prosecution of other
individuals," according to a copy of the plea agreement.

Burgert wouldn't be prosecuted if he revealed any incriminating
evidence against himself, court records show.

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Assistant U.S. Attorney Kris McLean declined to discuss the plea
agreement on Wednesday. He also declined to say whether any
investigation was under way into the alleged assassination plot, or
whether any additional arrests were expected.

Burgert's attorney was not available for comment Wednesday
morning.

In February 2002, Flathead County Sheriff Jim Dupont said
investigators uncovered a plot by a small group planning to kill
judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers and amassing an
arsenal of weapons.

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